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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. squash — to crush
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. land — to come down
  7. firm — decided
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. degree — temperature
  10. firm — steady
  11. ball — a great time
  12. degree — an amount
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bore — to drill
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. degree — from a university
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bore — to tire
  24. firm — a company

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com